INLE LAKE, Myanmar (AP) — A few days after the monsoon rains subside, Inle Lake, nestled among picturesque mountains, becomes the setting for one of Myanmar’s most important Buddhist festivals as sacred golden images glide across the water.

The 18-day Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival is an annual celebration on the country’s second-largest freshwater lake in the southern part of Shan state, about 420 kilometers (260 miles) northeast of Yangon. During the festival, four revered Buddha images are carried aboard an ornate golden barge to 21 villages around the lake for people to pay homage to them.

Adorned with a golden figure of the mythical Karaweik bird at its bow, the barge is pulled by scores of wooden boats crewed by members of the Intha ethnic minority, who practice a unique style of rowing while standing with one leg wrapped around a single oar.

Since the festival began on Oct.…